Medical Tourism — What You Need To Know

I’m not gonna lie. The whole reason why I’m not currently at least considering a move to warm, gun-loving Murica is because of health care. I realize insurance is relatively easy to get. I’ve just heard too many horror stories of people who can’t get the care they might want (or need) because of their insurance company denying them coverage.

As a self-employed guy, I’d also be forced into some sort of expensive health care plan since I wouldn’t have an employer willing to split the cost with me. I haven’t necessarily looked up what I’d be paying, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be cheap. As far as I can tell, what I’d gain paying less tax to Uncle Sam compared to Uncle Beaver I’d just lose to health care.

So nuts to that.

But at the same time, Canada’s healthcare system isn’t all blowjobs and rainbows. We have some legitimate problems. Waiting times for certain procedures are ridiculous. I know a woman who was forced to limp around in pain for more than a year before finally getting her hip replaced. Bedside manner is often sorely lacking from medical staff who know their jobs aren’t going anywhere.

The system isn’t even consistent. Canada loves public health care more than Obama loves golf (TOPICAL!), yet privately-funded medical facilities are everywhere. Dental care is private; so is chiropractic care. The government isn’t doing urine tests for prospective employers either. Some of these procedures are shockingly expensive, especially if you don’t have insurance. I’ve never understood why Canadians don’t put more pressure on the government to at least offer public versions of these services.

It’s for these reasons why medical tourism exists. If you’re stuck waiting months for a hip or knee replacement and you have the means, spending $5,000 to get it done somewhere else is a very viable option. It turns out you can put a price on your health, plus you can use it as an excuse to get a vacation.

Sounds pretty sweet, right?

Let’s take a closer look at just how much money you can save using medical tourism, plus where the most likely destinations are.

The savings

Medical tourism isn’t a new thing. It’s becoming more and more common, with more than 50,000 Canadians accessing medical care in other countries in 2014. The two biggest categories were cosmetic procedures and dentistry, ironically two things our public system doesn’t even cover. Next were internal procedures (things like joint replacements and colonoscopies), followed by cancer, reproductive (giggity) and weight loss procedures. As you can see, lots of those aren’t necessarily covered by Canada’s public system, indicating maybe wait times aren’t that big of a problem.

Potentially, the savings are a pretty big deal. According to Patients Without Borders, the average U.S. citizen saves about 50% on their procedure. Savings are higher in places like India and Malaysia, and lower in places closer to home like Mexico and Brazil.

These savings often don’t factor in the cost of getting there and other incidentals like hotels or renting a car. Sometimes the cost savings aren’t a whole lot, at least looking at how much leaves your wallet for each option. But at the same time, you get a tropical vacation to go along with your medical procedure. There’s value in that, presuming you’re not in pain in a hotel room the whole time recovering.

Can you trust the work?

“In Mexico, any moron can just call himself a doctor, right?”

Uh, no.

The nice thing about the internet is there’s a whole community of people who are willing to give medical tourism a try. Private hospitals know this, and have harnessed the power of the interwebz to attract these people.

A personal example. When I was in South Korea, there were all sorts of laser eye surgery places with English signage and staff that spoke our language. Many of the doctors studied in America, Canada, or Europe. Many Korean Universities offer classes in English taught by foreign doctors. The savings compared to Canada were between 33 and 50%. I regret not looking into this more when I was around.

Most other countries are the same. After all, you need to have a good idea at how much it costs to get procedures done in Canada or the U.S. before realizing there’s a market for medical tourism. And if you’ve spent time in the Canadian system, you know the quality of care.

Let’s face it. Most people who haven’t traveled assume places like Costa Rica or Mexico are a bunch of crumbling buildings filled with drug lords and guys napping wearing giant sombreros. But like Canada, there are areas that are nice and areas that aren’t. Again, going back to South Korea, much of that country is comparable to North America in terms of quality.

Since living costs in these countries are less than in Canada, staff costs a fraction of what they would here. Doctors are still paid well in the developing world. But nurses, support staff, etc. aren’t. And since overall wages aren’t as high as ours, we’re really not getting a deal. Oftentimes, medical tourists end up paying more than locals do.

Should you do it?

If you’re facing a procedure that might cost $3,000 or up in Canada, it just about always makes sense from a cost perspective to do a little medical tourism. Even if the cost ends up being similar after factoring in travel, you can still get yourself a nice vacation out of the deal.

The only thing you really have to be careful about is the quality of the care. I wouldn’t worry much about that either. Just find hospitals with many reviews that come highly recommended and you should be fine. Yeah, the risk is there that they mess up the procedure, but that risk exists in Canada too. Not every doctor here is Dr. House.

Overall, medical tourism can be a easy way to save money and get to go somewhere warm in the process. And hey, the whole thing is tax deductible up to 3% of your total income. Plus, foreign hookers. Sounds like a good plan to me.

6 Comments

Living in Spain for 5 years really opened my eyes as to how expensive dental care is in Canada. Dental procedures are 1/3 the cost; preformed by first world dentists.

Example: Cleaning in Alberta – $350 without x-rays. Cleaning in Spain – less than $100 without x-rays.
Crowns are $1500 in Alberta, $600 in Spain.

Right this minute, you can fly Edmonton – Frankfurt – Valencia for $833, return, taxes included on Air Canada. When you go to Spain in the winter time, you can rent a beautiful upper end furnished apartment (marble, granite, door man) right on the Med Sea for $1000/month, utilities and internet included. Food and wine, grown and made right in Spain, will bring you back to 1980 prices. ($5 for a bottle of the good stuff, $2 for the cheap stuff, a bunch of carrots for $1) Sure, you can’t lay on the beach in the winter, but leave your puffy jacket and boots at home. (Average temp in the winter +15 – 20C)

While you are there, stock up on your Rx; most drugs don’t even need a prescription but are dished out by a pharmacist. Example, my thyroid medication is $26/month in Canada, $5/month in Spain. Exact same stuff. << Right there is the glaring cost of marketing and commercials, which isn't allowed in Europe. Yep, you pay the pharmaceutical companies for invading your TV time.

Make an appointment for massages, chiropractor, acupuncture, et cetera. They are all half the cost.

I know a couple that go every February for a month to Spain for a health vacation. They figure the money they are saving on dental alone plays for their flight and accommodations. (Crowns)

This only works if you go Nov-Feb; after that the costs out weigh the benefits. Yes, you spend the same money as you would have in Canada, but you are in Spain.

Let’s be honest, shall we? The only thing keeping all Canadians from rushing the border is the lack of ketchup chips here.

This is a good overview, and I like the “shades of gray” approach. I don’t think there is one system that is perfect, and if you can use medical tourism to cobble together at least the beginnings of a truly global “market” (albeit a pretty complex and confusing one), over the next 50-100 years perhaps all systems will improve.

And don’t knock the U.S. system – we are super awesome. You can’t be penalized for pre-existing conditions now (if you do actually purchase insurance, that is…)! Dickensian medical-related bankruptcies are on the wane! Pretty soon we’re going to be crushing Slovenia in the provision of healthcare. USA! USA!

$600 for a Crown in Spain? In Colombia is mere $300 with high quality professionals. I know a guy who teaches english and is from Australia and for the moeny he would spend in his sole dental care back in Australia, he can give his family a pretty decent vacation in Colombia, dental treatments for all included… So yes, it makes sense to make medical tourism.

Aye Carumba – lots of sides to this here coin. For some things, I might consider heading outside Canada – I really think I need an MRI or minor cosmetic surgery. After that though, I think the quality/safety issue is paramount. Not sure I’d rely on internet info compared to government ministry stats, and even then, different countries report things differently so comparison is likely difficult. My last concern would be, on the off chance something does go wrong, at least in Canada I have some recourse, whereas you are likely SOL if the procedure was done in Columbia etc. As far as combining a vacay and medical visit, I guess it makes some sense, but how enjoyable can a vacation be if you know if ends with some “procedure” and how many days of vacation get wasted while you’re all hopped up on pain meds in your hotel room? Cool topic – very complex I think.